By subject
What the Gita says about
The same questions bring most people to this book. Each page below gathers the verses that genuinely speak to one of them, with what the Gita actually argues rather than a list of quotations.
Fear
14 versesthe first thing the Gita addresses, and the first quality it asks for
Death
21 versesthe argument that runs under the whole second chapter
Anger
12 verseswhere it comes from, traced step by step
Desire
18 versesthe difference between wanting something and being run by it
Duty
14 verseswhat to do when two real obligations point opposite ways
Work
22 verseskarma yoga, which is the Gita's answer for people with jobs
Doubt
11 versesa book that begins with a question and ends by inviting more
Grief
13 versesthe condition the book opens in and closes by addressing
Peace
14 verseswhat the Gita means by it, which is not the absence of trouble
Devotion
19 versesthe path the Gita opened to everybody
Knowledge
19 verseswhat the Gita counts as knowing, and what it does not
Detachment
15 verseswhich is not indifference, and the Gita says so twice
The Mind
18 versesthe Gita on concentration, restlessness and practice
Failure
10 verseswhat the Gita says to someone whose effort did not work